Dear Portfolio Committee on Higher Education,
I write with heavy heart my frustration with the entity (NSFAS) charged with ensuring that doors of learning are open to all.
In the 2023 Academic Year I applied for financial assistance with the entity this, application was rejected citing threshold exceeded a fact I disputed and appealed unsuccessful as I was not provided a responded.
In the 2024 Academic Year I once again applied for financial assistance and was approved for funding and my Tuition Fees, Residential fees, Book Allowance and Food Allowance were fully funded.
In the 2025 Academic Year my funding was flagged correctly so because my family income at this stage now exceeded the threshold. I had hoped I will be afforded an opportunity to placed under Loan Scheme now operational since 2024 but, I was not.
Upon enquiry of the non-continuance of funding I was told my application and that of many others were awaiting Ministerial approval which to date has not been communicated to me and the Minister concerned has since left office and replaced by Minister Manamela.
I would greatly appreciate the parliementaries intervention to understand how:
1. 2023 application was rejected despite family income not exceeding the threshold
2. 2025 funding is still pending and no communication is forthcoming despite correspondence to the Secretary of this committe and senior personnel in NSFAS save for contradictory messages one receives from Tik tok, Whats-up and email adress.
I am indebted
Lethiwe Nkosi (Ms.)
3rd Year Bachelor of Fashion Design
University of Johannesburg